Christmas Movie Dog Names

Introduction

If you’re a fan of Christmas but a bit less traditional, giving your dog a name based on one of your favorite Christmas movies might be the best way to go. Not only does it help to provide them a unique identity but also says a bit more about their personality and yours for that matter, especially if you happen to go with a memorable character or easily recognizable name. With any luck, you’ll not only find a good name, but remind yourself that every time you call your dog’s name or watch your favorite movie, the two will be inextricably linked, even years after they are no longer with you — which makes a timeless Christmas gift in itself.

Christmas Movie Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog with a Christmas Movie Name

Max

In the theme of underdogs, very few come close to that of Max, the Grinch’s patient and tolerant dog from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

If it wasn’t enough that Max is adorable even in his animated form, his character plays an often overlooked and pivotal role in the film. Outside of being endlessly patient, kind, loyal, and hard-working, all qualities most people look for in a companion, he is also the Grinch’s sounding board when he finally realizes the meaning of Christmas and besides almost teetering off the edge of a cliff, also helps the Grinch in attempting to pull the sleigh to safety.

The original Max was certainly going to be hard to duplicate, let alone draw the same kind of adoration as the animated version, but the crew behind director Ron Howard’s 2000 remake of the same name did a fantastic job not only filling the role, but getting dogs and performances that made Max nearly just as much of a star as Jim Carrey who played the Grinch. Believe it or not, there were actually six dogs that played Max, each of which had to get identical haircuts and wear a lightweight head harness with long ears attached to match the look of the original. Kelly, Chip, Topsy, Stella, Zelda, and Bo, the canine actors chosen for the part, were actually all mixed-breed shelter rescues, so needless to say these previously abandoned pups got the Hollywood treatment during and after their show-stealing performances.

But unlike the original Max, who had significantly fewer opportunities to truly influence the story, the new, more thoroughly fleshed out storyline gave Max, or Maxes in this case, the opportunity to shine, even if it took a considerable amount of training with each of them. Throughout the movie, Max’s true character shows through his good-natured heart when he tries to stop the Grinch from mixing up the Whos' mail, his loyalty when he stands by his master’s side through good and evil intentions, and generally stands as the Grinch’s moral compass throughout the movie.

But maybe even more impressive than the group performance of Max is that all six dogs that played him were treated as individuals, each assigned tasks that they were most comfortable with and trained accordingly, receiving roles that best worked with their personalities rather than being expected to be all-encompassing masters of canine acting and performance. And better yet, all six dogs were officially adopted either during the film’s shooting, or shortly after.

Now there’s a perfect Christmas present that both human and dog can truly enjoy.

Christmas Movie Dog Name Considerations

There are a lot of ways to go about picking a suitable name for your dog, so there is understandably a lot to consider. Generally speaking, personality and looks are usually the easiest way to generate ideas, although you can also keep things super simple and just give them your favorite character’s name from your favorite movie. But if you’re looking for something more apt, here are a few examples.

If you’re using looks, think about your dog’s face, haircut, markings and so on. For instance, if you have a poodle with a bit of extra curly hair on top of their head, Marv might be a great choice, as Marv Merchants from Home Alone sported a considerable bush of hair. If they are tall and lanky, both Jack, after Jack Skellington, and Arthur, after Arthur Christmas, work. If they look like Max from the Grinch, which isn’t hard to do for small brown dogs with folded ears, well, that’s easy enough.

In terms of personality, the door opens even wider, as there is no shortage of complete and utter characters from various Christmas movies. If they like to steal things, maybe give them the name Harry, Lime, or Bandit after Harry Lime, one of the “Wet Bandits” from Home Alone. If they’re a bit of a bully, giving them the name Farkus (or Barkus if you want to be extra clever), Buzz, or Grinch would be appropriate as they are all bullies from A Christmas Story, Home Alone, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas respectively.

Whatever you choose, don’t forget to enjoy yourself by doing a bit of research watching a few of these classics. Chances are something will pop out to remind you of your dog, or even watching them might make you realize the same in reverse.

Male Christmas Movie Dog Names

Votes

Name

Vote

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Odbody

George Bailey's guardian angel in It's a Wonderful Life

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Clark

After Clark Griswold from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

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Griswold

After the Griswold family from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

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Eddie

After crazy Uncle Eddie from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

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Rusty

After Rusty Griswold, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

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Ralphie

After Ralphie Parker, main character of A Christmas Story

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Farkus

After Scut Farkus, A Christmas Story

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Wallace

After Bob Wallace, White Christmas

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Davis

After Phil Davis, White Christmas

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Marv

After Marv Merchants, Home Alone

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Buzz

After Buzz McCallister, Home Alone

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Jack

After Jack Skellington, The Nightmare Before Christmas

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Walker

After Doris Walker, Miracle on 34th Street

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Thurman

After Thurman Merman, the kid from Bad Santa

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Buddy

After Buddy the Elf, from Elf

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Grinch

After the Grinch, from How The Grinch Stole Christmas

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Max

After Max, the Grinch's dog in How The Grinch Stole Christmas

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Baxter

After CC Baxter from The Apartment

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Calvin

After Scott Calvin from The Santa Clause

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Winthorpe

After Louis Winthorpe III from Trading Places

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Alfred

After Alfred Kralik from The Shop Around the Corner

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Arthur

After Arthur Claus from Arthur Christmas

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Dudley

After Denzel Washington's character Dudley from The Preacher's Wife

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Ernest

After Ernest P. Worrell from Ernest Saves Christmas

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Langston

After Howard Langston from Jingle All the Way

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Miller

After Ethan Miller from The Night Before

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Greenberg

After Isaac Greenberg from The Night Before

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Griffith

After Del Griffith from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

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Murray

After Bill Murray in A Very Murray Christmas

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Mason

After Steve Mason from Holiday Affair

Female Christmas Movie Dog Names

Votes

Name

Vote

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Bailey

After James Stewart's character George Bailey, It's a Wonderful Life

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Hatch

After Mary Hatch Bailey, George Bailey's love in It's a Wonderful Life

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Parker

After Ralphie Parker, main character of A Christmas Story

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Flick

After Flick from A Christmas Story

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Haynes

After the Haynes sisters, White Christmas

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Waverly

After Major General Thomas F. Waverly, White Christmas

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Lime

After Harry Lime (Joe Pesci), Home Alone

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Cross

After Frank Cross, Bill Murray's character in Scrooged

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Sally

After Sally the rag doll, The Nightmare Before Christmas

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Zero

After Jack Skellington's faithful skele-dog Zero, The Nightmare Before Christmas